


Yin and Yang

by PotatoSlayer



Category: Dragon Quest Builders (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-26 23:20:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20397811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotatoSlayer/pseuds/PotatoSlayer
Summary: When Yuna finds herself stranded on an island with a total stranger, she learns more than she ever expected about destiny, herself, and the true meaning of being a builder.





	1. Gift

A girl underwater, the sound of the murky under-surface rumble. Deeper and deeper she sank into the currents towards the darkness below. Through her foggy vision, she could almost reach it – the darkness. 

Slowly she drifted further and further from the light above. 

Further and further she sank and the colder and colder it grew. 

Gentle waves rolled across the sand and distant chirping of seagulls filled the air. As the cool breeze brushed across her skin, Yuna’s eyes slowly opened. Her pale skin was sticky with grains of sand all over her body and seaweed and moss were tangled into her black and white hair. She sat up and shivered, her wet clothes – which were already tattered and torn - sticking to every crevasse of her body. 

All around her on the shore were bodies, rubble, and garbage from the shipwreck. 

Her hand pressed to her temple. She remembered a storm and then everything was a blur after that. 

A chuckle broke the ambiance of the shoreline and she quickly looked over her shoulder. 

A boy was sitting on a rock with his arms and legs crossed. His red eyes sparkled with amusement. Unlike her, his brightly colored clothes weren’t drenched from the sea and his brown hair was pulled back into a tight tie with the spikey locks going every direction from it. 

He had a gleaming grin on his face. “I was thinking you were never going to wake up. How do you feel?” 

“Confused.” Yuna answered. She slowly got to her feet, stumbling on her weak knees. “The ship wrecked...are we the only survivors?” 

“That’s what it looks like.” The guy answered, hopping off the rock and landing beside her. “My name is Malroth. Who are you?” 

“Yuna.” She answered casually. Her gaze turned up towards the looming cliffs that were opposite the shore. “Do you know where we are?” 

“I’ve been wondering for a bit, but we’re on some sort of island. Nowhere I’m familiar with.” 

“Great.” Yuna stated. She rubbed the back of her head. “I only just started my apprenticeship as a builder and now I’m already getting put to the test.” 

He gasped, “You’re a builder?” 

She tapped her forehead. “Got that right and I’m a damn good one! I just... haven’t practiced much yet.” 

Malroth laughed at her. “Then how do you know you’re good?” 

Yuna crossed her arms and turned away. “I just know, okay? Don’t question me.” 

He smirked and pointed at her, his finger inches from her nose. “Prove it. Build something.” 

She gasped, “You can’t just put me on the spot like that!” 

“It’s cause you’re a no good builder.” He teased. 

“I am not! I’m a great builder!” 

“Then build us something! Like a shelter from the weather. Those clouds look like they could pour any minute.” 

Yuna looked down at herself, her skinny weak body that was still dripping wet. “What do I care? I’m already soaked.” 

Malroth joked as he looked away. “Sounds like an excuse.” 

Yuna glared. “Fine! I’ll show you! Let’s find a good place to set one up.” With that, she turned and sloshed through the shallow water beach and made their way along the shore, searching for a place more suited to setting up camp. 

As they walked by, Malroth kicked a pile of kelp and cursed under his breath. Yuna caught his shoulder and pulled him back. “Hey idiot, what are you doing?” 

“Smashing it, duh.” 

“Why?” 

“Cause it was there.” 

Yuna rolled her eyes and pushed him back, picking up a handful of what he hadn't stomped into nothing. Returning his action from earlier, she pointed at his nose and scolded, “We can cook this up and eat it, dummy, don’t waste it.” 

He blinked, his red eyes filled with befuddlement. “You can eat it? What’s it taste like?” 

“I don’t know, like kelp?” She retorted, snickering. 

“Can it smart ass!” He shouted at her, trotting a long after her. When they passed a few more piles now, he scooped it up instead of smashing it. 

Passing a few twigs sticking out of the ground, she asked him, “Think you can yank those out of the sand?” 

He gave her a look. “Of course I can! I can smash anything!” 

“Get to work you burly buffoon. I’ll make you something if you do.” 

His eyes widened and a bright sparkle came to them. “Really?” 

“Only if you get to hustling.” Yuna teased. 

He couldn’t possibly have pulled all the twigs and logs out faster. They finally came to a spot in the cove that was overshadowed by the sturdy rocks. She dropped down her pile of stuff and Malroth dropped his – much larger – pile of material. 

Yuna dropped down on her butt and sighed heavily. He gave her an odd look. “You okay?” 

She nodded. “Yeah I’m just... exhausted.” 

“Already?” 

She swatted her hand at him and he chuckled, dodging out of the way. She grumbled, “I’m not super strong okay? It’s part of why I decided to become a builder. I can use my smarts but... I’m lacking a little in the physical prowess department.” 

“I’ll say.” He chuckled. “So what are you gonna make me?” 

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Chill out hotshot. We have to get the basics done first. A campfire so we can cook this kelp.” As she spoke, she started gathering up the smaller twigs and putting them together in a pile before taking a rock and working on starting the fire. After a couple tries, a spark lit and slowly the twigs began to burn. 

Malroth stared at it like it was the most impressive thing in the world. Yuna watched him, seeing the amber glow on his face as he gazed upon the flames. Her own gaze softened. “You don’t create often do you?” 

“Nah. I just beat things.” He clarified, sitting down beside her in front of the fire. A cold breeze blew, making her shiver and curl up more. 

Seeing this, he got up and sat down on the other side of her, blocking the wind enough that she could function again. “Better?” He asked. 

“Much. Thanks.” She tore the kelp apart into several strips and then handed him some. They both strung it along sticks in the fire so it could start cooking. After a while and the kelp was dry and crispy, they began to eat their meal. 

He made a gross noise and complained, “This is probably the worst meal I’ve ever had.” 

She laughed and took another bite. “It’s late in the evening, when the sun rises, we’ll see if we can find some game.” 

He let out a howl of happiness. “Sounds delicious to me.” 

“We don’t even know what we’ll find.” 

“Meat is meat.” 

Yuna laughed and, having her fill, grabbed one of the logs he’d picked up and started whittling it down with a rock. He leaned over, right into her personal bubble and asked, “Is that mine?” 

“It will be.” She assured. “But only if you promise to use it to help me.” 

“Help you what?” He asked eagerly. 

“You’ll see.” She answered with a smile. For a while they sat together in front of the fire, munching on kelp as Yuna continued to give shape to the log. Once the sun set and the moon began to ascend through the sky, she completed her project. 

Malroth had started to doze beside her, so she gently nudged him. “I’m done.” 

He blinked his eyes opened and then looked down at the object in her hands. A gasp left him as he picked up the club and jumped to his feet. “Hell yeah! I can use this to bash baddies!” 

Yuna laughed and leaned back on her hands. “That’s the point. I thought you’d like a weapon. In exchange you have to protect me, too, okay?” 

He blinked and looked back at her. A coy smirk played on his lips before he shrugged his shoulders. “I guess that’s alright by me. You worry about making the things we need to survive on this crappy island and I’ll worry about getting us food and beating anything you need!” 

Yuna smiled at him. “You sure are excitable. It makes this shipwreck seem less disastrous.” 

He dropped back down next to her. “Well there’s no point dwelling on it, right? It’s not like we can undo the shipwreck. So we just gotta move forward. Besides, this island might have some really awesome adventures.” 

She giggled. “You’re pretty positive.” She looked over. “But now I need to work on the next task. We need to build a shelter of some sort and preferably something to lay on.” Giving him a big grin she asked, “Can you gather some things for me and I’ll get to work here?” She started to roll up her torn sleeves. 

He raised his club and cheered. “Sure will! What all do you need?” 

“Any grass or kelp you can find, twigs, and let’s move more sand over here.” 

He gave her a thumbs up before he rushed off to collect the things she asked for. She turned and began work on their little shelter. She dug a little ways into the ground and leveled it out to give them a bearable floor to put the bedding she was going to make on. Then she wetted the sand and started building up the walls into the rock above. Soon, she had completed a little round hut just big enough for the little campfire and the two of them to lay down. 

When he returned, she was glad to see that his arms were full of all the things she asked for. He dropped them down beside the campfire and his fists went to his hips and a big grin spread on his face. It was the face of sheer triumph personified. She couldn’t help but smile back. “Thanks! Great job Malroth.” 

He fanned a hand and took his spot in the corner. “It was easy for a tough guy like me.” Sticking his hands in his lap, he leaned over, beginning to watch her as she worked. “So what are you gonna make with that stuff?” 

“I don’t wanna sleep on the sand, do you?” She questioned back, starting to weave together the sticks and grass and kelp, knitting out a bedding for them. 

His red eyes watched her hands work with intrigue for several minutes before he suddenly reached his own out and stated, “I’ll help.” 

“Okay.” She went a bit slower with her moves for a bit so that he could see how she was doing it. He copied every whisk of her fingers, but each time that his own would try the same thing, the kelp would slip away or the twigs would break. 

When he started to get frustrated, she put her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t upset yourself. I’ve been training for a while. Is this your first attempt?” 

He nodded. 

She smiled warmly at him. “No one gets it the first try. We’ll keep working on it, okay?” 

His red eyes shimmered at her soft smile and he felt his chest swell with determination. Nodding his head quickly, he agreed to her terms. 

Some time later she had finally completed a large matt for them to sleep on. He helped her lay it out beside the fire and then he plopped down on the edge farther from the fire. Even though she wasn’t shivering anymore since they were inside the little shelter, he still knew she had been a little more sensitive to the cold, so he wanted her to be closer to the fire. He stretched out. “You’re right. This is much better than the sand or rock.” 

She giggled as she laid down as well before a sigh of exhaustion leaving her. Her head rested on her arm and she curled up. “I know. I made these for everyone on the ship.” 

Malroth looked back at her. Her eyes were now closed and her black and white hair was draped everywhere. He curiously asked, “Where were you going?” 

Her mysteriously black and white eyes opened up and looked upon him. They glazed over a bit as she looked away and responded, “I don’t know. I was arrested for being a builder. They were taking me somewhere to imprison me... or kill me. I don’t know.” 

His eyes widened. “Who did!?” 

“Some... followers of a sort. They call themselves the Children of Hargon. They believe only in destruction and hate all those who create.” 

“Sound like bastards to me.” Malroth informed. 

She giggled. “I’m not their biggest fan either.” The sparkle began to return to her eyes. “So this shipwreck was actually the better alternative for me, I think. If no one else is here...then I can build here... without being condemned.” 

“What about your family?” Malroth asked. “Don’t you wanna get back to them?” 

“My family...No. I think I’d prefer to stay here.” She shifted and looked back up at him. “But, I’ll find a way to build something to help you get off the island.” 

He blinked before he chuckled. “If you wanna stay here, I’ll stay here too. I don’t think you could manage living here by yourself.” 

She blushed. “I could to!” 

“A rough wind would knock you over, scrawny.” 

“I am not that fragile, thank you.” She argued playfully, but there was a soft expression on her face. Someone wanting to help her and stick around with her was a nice change of pace. She was more used to a family that would rather her be out of sight. “But... an actual thank you, too. If you mean it and intend to stay here with me.” 

He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “What else would I do?” 

The smile remained on her lips as she closed her eyes and curled up more on her matt of straw. When she did, her hand grazed his. At first it made him stiffen and he almost pulled immediately away but he didn’t. There was a small sensation of warmth that came from her touch against his and he felt like it was the first time he’d ever felt so joyful. Normally he found great pleasure in bashing bad guys or destroying things, but this simple touch felt like something else – it was nice. 

So he kept his hand there, with hers as he closed his eyes as well and both of them fell asleep to the gentle slosh of the waves against the shore. 


	2. Mally

“I don’t see it.”  Yuna stated, her hand to her chin as she was looking up at the cliffs touching the clouds. Beside her,  Malroth was standing, looking up at the same cliffs.

He grumbled, “How can you not? It’s super obvious. You can see the eye and the teeth and it even looks like he’s breathing some fire.”

“I think it looks more like a kitty playing with a ball.”  Yuna argued.

Both of them were staring at the crevasses and divots of the rocks in the cliffs as they were walking uphill to get more material.

Malroth laughed. “You have a heck of an imagination because I don’t see  _ that _ at all.”

Yuna laughed along with him. “Whatever you say.” When they got to steeper rocks,  Malroth climbed up first and reached his hand down to her, helping her up the steep edge.

As they climbed higher and higher he asked, “Are you sure there’s going to be something  worth while up here?”

“Yeah. If it’s  gonna be anywhere, it’ll be here.” She insisted.

When they finally got to the top, she leaned her hands on her knees and heaved, trying to catch her breath.  Malroth flopped over onto his butt and groaned. “We’ve  gotta be literally at the highest place in the world right now.”

Yuna laughed. “I doubt that.” She turned and looked out across the island and her eyes widened. “But damn. Look at this view.” They were high enough that it looked and felt like they were standing on top of the clouds. All the shorelines could be seen from where they stood and passed that – nothing but ocean.

It felt like her breathing stopped in her chest. “Amazing.”

Malroth was gazing out as well, his crimson eyes bright with wonder. “Yeah it is. Worth carrying you up the hill.”

She swiftly kicked him from where he sat.

He laughed out loud.

Rolling her eyes, she turned and started walking again. “There should be some mushrooms that grow up here. They’ll go great cooked with some of the animals you caught.”

Malroth hummed at he trotted after her. “Sounds delicious.”

Yuna led the way through the brush, giggling each time she’d move a branch and it’d come back and swat him in the face. At one point he grabbed the branch, broke off the twig and started whacking her in the back of the head with it.

While she laughed, she missed seeing the burrow that was risen up out of the ground and tripped over it, falling backwards and rolling a  little ways down the slope. Malroth hurried down after her. “Are you okay!?”

Yuna rubbed her head. “Yeah, my soft squishy head broke my fall.” She sat up and her eyes widened when she saw a small heard of giant ants standing between the trees.

Without missing a beat,  Malroth took her arm and pulled her around behind him as he took his club out, getting into a stance, ready to fight. “Stay behind me.”

Yuna didn’t protest. Even though they were just ants, because of their size, their bites packed a serious punch and they were super strong. She gently ordered, “Be careful. We don’t know how many there are.”

Malroth laughed. “Not enough to scare me.” When the ants charged, he swung his club like it weighed nothing and knocked the ants silly. It really looked like he was going to have a problem with it,  cause he was even laughing as he bashed them up. She did as she was told and remained behind him, but kept guiding him along until she found the spot of mushrooms she was looking for. She started to pluck them up as she listened to the joyful laughs  behind her.

Once she had an entire pouch full collected up, she waved her hand, “I’m all good Malroth! We can get out of here now!”

He groaned in agitation. “ Oh come on! I’m finally having fun.”

She couldn’t help but giggle at this. “Oh alright. I’ll spend some time seeing what else I can dig up.”

“Yes!” He cheered.

As promised, she let him fight for a while until he was worn out. Meanwhile she had collected up herbs and materials that they could use.

Once they got back, she put the mushrooms over the fire and let them simmer.

While those cooked, they headed out for their main course. They didn’t go very far inland before brush grew  more dense and the sound of wildlife rose up around them.

Eventually they spied a large horned rabbit between the trees.

Malroth whispered, “I can smell it now.”

“No, those are the mushrooms you smell.” She told him.

He glared at her and seethed, “Figure of speech, thank you.” He pulled his club out again. “Stay here, I’ll get it.” With that he took off running at their prey like a bat  outta hell.

She laughed when he finally got it and beat it to death. She stepped back out of the bushes and mocked, “Smooth moves,  Malroth . You’re a really natural hunter.”

He stuck his tongue out at her.

She growled and tackled him, knocking their food from his hand and they started to wrestle until they were both covered in twigs, vines, and leaves. But  Malroth called a truce so they could return and eat.

That night, it felt like they enjoyed a nice, hearty feast.

Malroth gleefully shouted, “It tastes so good! You really know how to cook.”

She giggled back. “I wouldn’t have anything to cook without your predator skills. You’re one tough cat.”

He wiggled where he sat, a triumphant glitter in his eyes.

“Don’t let it go to your head or anything, Mally.”

“Mally!?” He glared at her. “Too lazy to say my name now?”

Yuna shrugged. “Your name is long and Mally is cuter.”

“I don’t want to be cute! I want to be strong and scary!”

“Okay well you can tell the rabbits that you’re  Malroth . To me, you’re Mally.”

He glared at her over his bite of rabbit. “Fine then! If I’m Mally then you’re... Yun. The  _ uh _ at the end is  _ uh- _ nnoying.”

She beat him with his own club.


	3. Home

It was raining.

Yuna was enjoying herself, sitting on the sandy beach under the rocky cliff overhang, doodling away in her book. Days like today, when the world was gentle and the pitter patter of the rain was calming, it helped her think better. Inspiration was just leaking out of the tip of her pen.

Malroth walked over and flopped on his back in the sand. He grumbled up at her, “I’m bored.”

Without even looking up,  Yuna retorted, “No, you’re Mally.”

“Malroth.”

“Mally.”

He sat up and took the book from her hands. She let out a whine of protest and went to reach for it but flopped forward awkwardly into the sand. “Give it back!”

He chuckled as he jumped up to his feet, prepared to run off but she didn’t get up. He trotted back over to her and asked, “Are you okay? I- “

He gasped when she jumped up and tackled him down, grabbing the book back from him and snickering, “Tricked you, sucker.”

Malroth sat up and scowled, “That’s not even fair! I thought you might have been hurt or something! Someone as fragile looking as you can’t pretend to be hurt.”

Yuna reached up and pinched his cheeks, starting to pull. “I’ll show you fragile!”

Instinctively he reached out and grabbed her cheeks, pulling as well until both of them were in tears and flopped over. He started kicking his arms and legs like a child throwing a tantrum. “I’m bored but I don’t  wanna go out in the rain. Yun, do something about it!”

“You need to calm down.” She urged, a giggle in her voice. After a moment she sat up and asked, “Do you like fish?”

“I think so.” He answered. “Maybe.”

“Let’s fish then!” She suggested, hopping to her feet. She pointed to the large rock that was in the deeper water, but still under the huge cliff.

Malroth complained, “Still sounds boring.”

“It’s better than doing nothing complaining about doing nothing!”

Within a couple hours,  Yuna had crafted a couple rods out of the wood and vines they could find laying around under the cliff as well as taking some bugs and snails and such out of the sand to tie at the end of their “lines”.

They sat together on the large rock with their lines in the water as the rain continued to pour down around the cliff over their heads. They hadn’t been there long before  Malroth groaned and complained, “This is the same thing as sitting around doing nothing!”

Yuna giggled, “No it isn’t. Now we have a chance of getting dinner.”

“Well why aren’t they biting!?”

“Because you’re so  noisy ! Trying hushing for a bit and maybe we’ll get something.”

He grumbled, but stopped shouting after her scolding.

After a while, she leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. “It’s peaceful here, though, isn’t it?”

He glanced at her and felt a tickle in his chest. There was a strange sensation that came from her soft head leaning on his shoulder. Instead of the thrill and yearning to fight, he suddenly felt as at peace as the island she was talking about. The patter of the rain was like a melody and the world drifted away.

A sigh left him as well and he leaned his head on top of hers. “It is.” He confirmed. “It’s nice.”

She closed her eyes, a smile on her lips. “Is it weird that...the week or so that we’ve been on this island... I’ve felt more at home than I ever have before? Back home, on  Cantlin , I had a large family – always surrounded by people. But every day I felt so lonely. I didn’t belong there, with any of them. I didn’t fit in. They made that clear. But here... where there’s less people. Where it’s just you and me, I feel less lonely. It feels like... I belong here.”

A smile spread on his face. “You do. You’re a  builder right? An island like this is a dream come true for you – where you can build anything in the world you want and no one can stop you.”

She leaned up so her chin was on his shoulder instead of her head. “I mean... it’s the company that makes me feel welcome.”

He blinked. “You mean me?” A  rosey blush spread on his cheeks and he had to look away. “Don’t get weird. I’m just me – I’m strong and I fight things.”

“And I’m smart and I build things. We make a good team, Mally.”

He gave her a thumbs up. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from my  best friend .”

Her eyes widened. “Best friend?”

Now his eyes widened. “Don’t make that seem so shocking!  Of course you’re my best friend! In fact, I think you’re the only friend I’ve ever had. I don’t remember any others. I don’t remember much of anything else, actually.”

She sat up and turned to him. “You don’t remember anything?”

He shook his head. “I just... remember being on this island... that’s it.”

She reached up and brushed her fingers along his temple, just under one of his spikes of hair. “Maybe you hit your head in the wreck and have amnesia.”

His gaze softened at her touch and he found himself closing his eyes and leaning more into her hand. Just like everything else she did, it brought him comfort. Her fingers were slow and soft and it caused a strange feeling inside of him. It was mostly warmth but also a bit of... panic maybe. He grinned, “Maybe but I don’t really care. Nothing before this island here with you matters.”

Her eyes shimmered and she leaned forward until her head rested against his. “You’re absolutely right, Mally. All that matters now is us and our island and our little world.”

“I’ll protect you from everything, Yun. I promise. You’ll never have to worry about a thing and you can build as much as you want.”

Yuna started to say something when there was a twitch between them. She looked down to see one of the rods was beginning to move off the rock. Quickly they both grabbed it and jumped up. Malroth shouted, “We caught something!”

Yuna agreed, “I’ll hold it, you pull it in!” She squished against  Malroth as they were both pulling on the fishing rod, but he freed one hand to start pulling the line in so they could bring the fish ashore.

After several minutes of struggling, they finally yanked the fish up and a massive pink and blue fish popped out of the water and landed at their feet.  Malroth shouted, “It’s huge! What a catch!”

Yuna rubbed her hands together. “We’re  gonna be eating good again tonight!”

Malroth straightened up and grinned at her and both of them jumped up and high-fived at the same time and cheered.


	4. Security Blanket

Malroth hopped up suddenly off the straw mat while  Yuna was sitting in the corner of the hut, working on stitching a new project together. She looked up at him while he groaned and growled. She asked, “Are you okay, Mally?”

He huffed and shook his head. “I’m bored. I’m  gonna go find some monsters to fight.”

“Be careful out there okay?”

He gave her a big grin. “I don’t need to be careful, I’m super strong. Nothing is going to get the drop on me.”

Her black eyes softened and she nodded, “Yes I know, I know. But I don’t know what I’d do with myself if you didn’t come back.”

He blinked at her comment before walking over and dropped his large gloved hand on top of her head and assuring, “That will never happen. We’re a team now. I’ll always come back for you and you always come back for me, okay?”

A giggle escaped her. “Of course. I don’t need you to tell me.” She stuck her tongue out. He went to grab it but she pulled her head back out of the way, making herself laugh harder.

He pointed at her. “Careful sticking that thing out, I’ll yank it out of your mouth.”

“ Oh I’m  sooo scared.”

He left after giving her another playful glare. It only took a few moments for the emptiness and silence of the cabin to get to her.  Malroth brought so much life to the little abandoned island that it felt wrong when he wasn’t around. Even the safety of the cabin didn’t feel like enough. She had made a little door out of straw, but without him here, occupying the space, it didn’t feel like she was safe from anything.

As much as she teased him for always going around fighting things, it made her feel comfortable, knowing that nothing could reach her as long as he was around.

Maybe she should have gone with him. Even though he was going to purposely look for monsters, maybe she’d have felt safer at his side even in dangerous areas than she would here, alone. But she also wanted to finish her new build. She couldn’t wait to surprise him with what she was working on.

So she pushed out her nerves and continued working away.

Several hours later, her project was finished. She looked over it for any flaws or shortcomings but was overjoyed with how well it turned out. Stuffing it into her bag, she got up and stretched – reaching her hands towards the sky as a rumbly noise left her throat. After stepping out, she realized that the sun was climbing down towards the ocean surface.

Malroth had been gone for quite a while. Most likely he was just having way too much fun swinging his club around, but she couldn’t help the paranoid fear that lingered in her stomach.

What if he didn’t come back?

What if she was left alone on this island?

The thought of never hearing that playful chuckle or seeing that gleaming smile of his again caused an actual pain in her chest.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed up the stick she made for herself to fight with and headed out. She knew he’d be going straight to the heart of the monsters – so that there would be more of a challenge for him. But it also meant that it was the most dangerous area.

It didn’t take long for her to find a trail of beaten monsters. It was mostly  slimes but there was a few small rats mixed in. Nothing among them looked like it would even be a remote challenge for him so she really didn’t need to worry about it, but he had been gone a while.

Most likely though just  cause he was having so much fun. The trail finally came to a stop in a small grassy field more inland of the island. There  was a few trees sprinkled about which made it look pretty different from the shore where they were camped. Maybe they should move out here.

Below one of the trees, she finally found him  laying in the grass. She rushed over to him, worried at first, until she saw that he was snoozing soundly. Her gaze softened. He wore himself out fighting monsters and found a cute little area to take a nap in. His club was laying beside him.

A sigh left her. She never had anything to worry about. But she felt much better seeing him now, knowing that he was okay. Her gaze lingered on him as he lay in the grass. The blades were just tall enough to tickle his sides and his face – the same face that was so peaceful and gentle in his slumber.

She walked over quietly to him and sat down next to where he was laying. One arm was propped behind his head, under his messy brown pony tail. His thick logs were spilling everywhere, like the roots of a tree crawling out from behind his head.

Seeing him like this made her giggle at the thought of him scaring monsters off and beating them. She couldn’t help herself any longer because he looked so cozy laying down there, she nestled down next to him and gently ran her fingertips along his cheek.

Her black and white eyes shimmered with affection. This person who was barely more than a stranger to her was the person she was going to build a new world with. Their own little secret world on this island that no one else knew about.

Her gaze shifted to his pointy, elf-like ears. She’d never seen someone looks so human but with distinct inhuman traits like those ears. It made her wonder what his story really was. But as long as his memory was gone, even he didn’t know. Though she didn’t care. It didn’t matter to her what he was. He could be the devil himself and it wouldn’t change a thing right this moment.

As her index finger traced over his ear, it twitched a couple times like a cat before he shifted his head and his eyes opened the slightest bit. Those red irises focused on her for a moment before he hummed into a big yawn. When he did, she could see his cute little fangs and she had to resist the urge to poke them too.

He looked down at her when his yawn finally ended and asked, “What’re you doing out here, scrawny?”

She giggled and playfully smacked his shoulder. “You fell asleep out here and have been gone a while. I got nervous so I came to look for you.”

“Couldn’t stand being apart huh?” He gave her a coy grin. “Didn’t know I was growing on you so much.”

She grumbled and looked away. “Hush up.” Her gaze turned up and around. “You did find quite the cute little napping spot.”

“It was, until someone woke me up.” He teased, earning another smack. He reached down and picked her up by the armpits and pulled her up until she was laying across him instead of on the ground. She made a noise like an adamant kitten being forced against their will. Once she was situated, he put his arm back up behind his head and his other hand rested on her waist. He told her, “Snooze with me, Yun.”

She blushed as she reached up and ran her fingers through one of his spikes of hair. “I know it’s a cute little area, but one of us should really stay awake and on duty in case a monster comes around.”

He chuckled. “Worried we’re  gonna get beat up by a slime?”

“You might be super tough, but I’m not.” She argued.

He rubbed his hand up and down her back before he chuckled. “You don’t need to be super tough, remember? I’m not going to let anything happen to you, little builder.”

Her gaze softened. “I know...” She lowered her head down to his chest and closed her eyes as her hand rubbed up and down his chest and shoulder. “To be honest...I didn’t feel safe down in the cabin without you...I needed my big strong Mally in case something showed up. But now... I feel much more secure.”

His red eyes warmed and he gave her a dazzling smile. “I didn’t mean for you to feel scared just  cause I got bored. I’ll drag you out with me next time.”

“Good.” She told him, shifting her bag off her shoulders and opening it. “But it did mean that I could finish what I was working on.” She pulled a large blanket out from the bag and unfolded it. “Here, now we can stay warm.” She opened it up and he helped her pull it over her back so it covered the two of them. He tucked it up over her shoulders, making sure she was comfortable before he sighed in content.

“You really are talented, Yun. This will be really helpful on the cold nights.” He agreed.

“I thought so, too. Slowly but  surely I’m building our necessities so that we can survive on our little utopia...”

“I have no doubts.”  Malroth confirmed, his hand rubbing her back absently in the same way that hers was rubbing his chest. Every day on this island he felt more and more at peace. There was no doubt this was where he belonged.


	5. Rats

Malroth kicked a rock and grumbled. 

Yuna sighed and tossed a rock down herself. “This island just doesn’t have much material. This is quickly going to become an issue. I don’t have the tools I need to do anything with what we have here. We might be living the rest of our lives in a sand hut eating kelp and crustaceans.”

Malroth groaned, “There has to be something we can do...”

Yuna put her hand to her chin and hummed as she thought it over. “I think we’ll just need to explore more of the island. We’ll surely eventually find something.”

“I hope so. I don’t want our Empire of  Evisceration to come to an end so soon.”

“ Empire of Evisceration ?”  Yuna repeated. “Where did you get that name from?”

“I made it up!”  Malroth laughed. “It sounds really intimidating so it’ll  scare off the weaklings and  only lure in strong opponents so I can bash them to bits!”

Yuna pouted. “Does it have to lure anyone of that sort in? Can’t we just have a peaceful island?”

He pouted back. “But it’s not fun if we’re not fighting strong enemies.”

She sighed. “Okay Mally. You can name it whatever you want.”

He chuckled and put his hands on his hips. “Don’t sound so downtrodden. I’ll protect you and you’ll sit at the top as the queen of my empire!”

She laughed out loud. “Oh? Do I get to wear a crown and sit on a throne?”

“Whatever you want!” He grinned.

Yuna rolled her eyes but she couldn’t help but smile. “Fine. That sounds okay to me. I’ll build a huge castle for us to live in and a big battle arena so you can fight to your hearts content.”

His red eyes sparkled with delight. “Really!?”

She nodded her head. “Whatever you want.” She repeated his own words. She walked towards another wall of rock. “But one step at a time. To get there, we need to figure out a  long term survival plan here.” As she stepped towards the bolder, she felt the ground shift. Looking down, a crack formed from the boulder and went between her feet. Before she could jump back out of the way, the ground suddenly gave way and a scream left her throat.

Malroth’s eyes widened and he rushed over, trying to grab her hand, but his fingers barely skimmed hers before she disappeared into the darkness. Panicking, he shouted, “Yun!? Yun! Are you okay!? Yun!!”

“Easy, easy.” Her voice came back up out of the darkness. “I hit my head a little but I’m okay. I don’t think anything is broken.”

“Good. Good. Okay I’ll figure out a way to get you out.” He stood up and started looking around. “Maybe I can find some vines and lower them down to you.”

“Yeah, see if you can find some.”  Yuna suggested as she pulled a stick out of her bag and struck it across one of the rocks so that it caught fire and she could see. She turned around but came to a dead stop.

Through the darkness, there was a massive rat – much bigger than all the other ones they had run into by far. Around  it’s feet were several of the same small rats that  Malroth had been beating on the surface. It’s beady red eyes glared hatefully at her.

Trembling, she called, “M-Mally...!?”

He rushed back over to the hole and asked, “What’s wrong -  “ He saw  Yuna climbing up onto one of the large rocks to get away from the flying claws of a massive rat. “ Yuna !” Without hesitating, he jumped over the ledge and came down on the rat. He grabbed onto  it’s furry shoulder and pulled his club out and started beating it on the back of the head.  It screeched and spun around, trying to throw him off.

While he had it distracted,  Yuna tried to run around the creature and find somewhere safe they could get away, but she was rat-piled by the smaller creatures. She swung her stick at them but the most it was doing was moving them back, not doing any real damage.

Malroth looked over, seeing her torch flailing around and he growled, “Get away from her you little bastards!” He jumped off the large rat and landed in front of  Yuna and started clubbing the little ones. With his much stronger swings, the rats were flying away and hitting the walls with pitiful squeaks.

Once the way was clear, he reached back and grabbed her hand, pulling her after him as the massive rat turned and started  looming towards them. He found a small crevasse in the wall and he pulled both of them in, pulling her right up against him, his free arm wrapped protectively around her. He looked down at her in the flickering torch light and asked, “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I’m fine... but now we’re both stuck down here!”

“One step at a time. Right?” He gave her a small smile. “Let’s deal with our rat problem, then we’ll figure out how to get out of the hole.

“You didn’t even hesitate to jump down into this shit hole with me...” She whimpered.

“Hehe. Of course not. That’s what best friends do, right? We get into and out of trouble together.” He found her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I promised you would always be safe with me.”

Yuna made a noise and pressed her face into his bare chest, a whimper escaping her. “Thank you, Mally...”

He gave her a smile and glanced at the mouth of the crevasse, seeing that the rats were desperately scraping at the walls to try and get in. His expression immediately grew  more stern . Words were one thing but now he had to figure out how to man up to them. They needed a way out of this mess without getting her hurt.

His gaze drifted passed the rats and at the hole in the ceiling where she had originally tumbled through. He gently nudged her, “Yun. I think I have an idea. I’m going to lure the rats away so you can get back to that hole. The ground was super weak and that’s why you fell through. I bet a builder like you can find a way to bring down more of that wall. If you do, I can lure them back under it and you can knock it down.”

Her eyes widened a bit. “That’s too dangerous! You might get trapped under it.”

His grin reached from  ear to ear. “I’ll be okay. Trust me.”

She started to open her mouth to tell him how stupid he was when he took right back off, clubbing the first few rats and getting the attention of all of them. It took only a moment for them to rush away from the crevasse and  Yuna slipped out, going back for the hole.

The first thing she needed to figure out was how to get back to the opening. Her gaze went to the boulders that had tumbled down with her and she lined them up to get back up. Her hand barely rested on the ground when she felt the edge of it shift just like before.

“Mally!” She shouted, waving the torch. “I got it! Come on!”

Malroth whacked a couple more rats before he rushed  passed them and ran right back to her. She reached her hand down and he took it, pulling himself up onto the rock with her. They jumped up and onto the unstable ground. Rushing across it, it gave way under their feet, falling right back down on top of their pursuers.

When they finally got to the edge of the cave, the ground stopped rumbling and they looked back at the huge open hole in the floor now.

Yuna sighed heavily after seeing the feet and tails of the rats buried in the rubble. “We did it.”

Malroth stood with his hand up, a big grin on his face. It was contagious and she found herself smiling as well, jumping up and slapping her hand to his. After their high-five, she collapsed down onto her butt and sighed again. “I’m so worn out now, though...”

He knelt down and held his hands out behind his back. “Climb on. I’ll carry you back.”

Yuna hesitated for just a moment before thinking about how much she wanted to get back and snuggle up under the blanket. She slowly climbed up and his arms wrapped securely under her legs as her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Her head rested on his shoulder and she closed her eyes.

They walked in silence for a couple minutes before  Malroth spoke up. “Hey, Yun.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m... really glad we met.”

Her eyes widened a bit as he continued, “Without my memory, I don’t know if I had  friends before. But if I did, I know they don’t compare to you. There’s no one else I’d  wanna be a  stuck on an island with. No matter what happens.”

“I feel the same.”  Yuna confirmed. “My family would never have protected me like you did. Just... looking at your smile... I knew I was going to be okay.”

When they got back to their hut, he set her down carefully before grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around their shoulders.  Yuna leaned forward and started the little bonfire before leaning back and making herself comfortable against him. Just like before, he picked her up by the armpits and pulled her into his lap, then wrapping himself and the blanket around her.

His chin rested on top of her head. “You know... maybe I don’t need tough monsters coming out here to fight. I think this is pretty okay with me.”

She wiggled more back into his chest, closing her eyes. “I’m okay with anything... as long as you’re at my side, Mally.”

“I swear I’ll never go anywhere.” He assured, nuzzling his head into her hair as the fire crackled in front of them.


End file.
